rocktape or kinesio tape? (Read 131 times)

irun4moi

posted: 5/10/2013 at 4:51 PM

...or does it matter? Also, thoughts on pre-tape spray...is it necessary? I won't elaborate on the long, sad story...in a nutshell I've been suffering from PF for a year. I'm hoping and praying that I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Every time my chiro tapes me, it feels good, so I'd like to try it myself.

Thanks in advance for any help/advice you can give me on the taping.

daisymae25

Squidward Bike Rider

posted: 5/10/2013 at 5:18 PM

I've tried both, and I prefer Rock Tape for sure. It sticks better, IMHO. Kinesio Tape and sweat don't seem to mix well for me. I've never heard pre-tape spray to be honest.

I've tried both, and I prefer Rock Tape for sure. It sticks better, IMHO. Kinesio Tape and sweat don't seem to mix well for me. I've never heard pre-tape spray to be honest.

This. Rocktape is MUCH longer lasting -- I've gone swimming with it and it still lasted five days (it might have lasted longer, but I took it off). The Kinesiotape didn't even survive five minutes in the pool.

Another vote for the rocktape - it just sticks far longer than other brands. Personally, I think it only 'helps' (feels better?) if you have a very minor muscle ache. Any real injury it doesn't do a thing, IMNSHO. My wife, however, swears by it for her tennis elbow which is why we even have some in the house. She believes it absolutely helps her when she plays tennis (maybe she just sees the pro players using it and ipso-facto it MUST work).

I've taped before with regular athletic tape and it was fine. But I like the k tape more. I think the flexibility/stretch/movement it provides makes it more comfortable and I like the fact I can tape and have it last several days. I've read some of the science behind it and why it works....lifting the skin ever so slightly, increasing blood flow to encourage healing, yada yada yada....I don't know if it's true or not, I just know it makes my foot feel better, and to be honest with you, that's the only thing I'm interested in. I'm desperately sick of it hurting.

After 3 weeks of ITBS I decided to tape my knee. I'm using the KT pro tape. I've never tried rock tape. The KT tape is supposed to last 5 days but after 3 days of showers and hour long (elliptical) workouts is came off, so I would say you should try the rock tape since people here seem to like it. Also on the subject of whether it works: if it works, it works and you get better; if it doesn't work, you get the placebo effect (which is a real thing) and you also may get better. Flawless logic.

...or does it matter? Also, thoughts on pre-tape spray...is it necessary? I won't elaborate on the long, sad story...in a nutshell I've been suffering from PF for a year. I'm hoping and praying that I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Every time my chiro tapes me, it feels good, so I'd like to try it myself.

Thanks in advance for any help/advice you can give me on the taping.

Hmmm... I feel that this thread is all over the place. There are various types of tapes for various purposes. You can't, and shouldn't, use one for other. When we used "athletic tapes" in the 1970s, the purpose is to restrict the movement by wrapping the joint in certain direction. For that, the tape would have to be pretty rigid and adhesive quite strong. Of course, for that, it would be rather uncomfortable to remove it. That's why we have layer tape or pre-tape spray.

Kinesio tape was developed....much later than that. It was developed by a gentleman by the name of Kenzo Kase and was first introduced to international athletic scene in 1988 Olympics with the Japanese volleyball team. I was introduced to Kinesio tape in 1989 and completely believe in it; then Mr. Kase himself in...maybe 1998 or so. Everything else, with this particular purpose, be it KT tape or Rock tape, is a knock-off product and not as good in terms of specific performance of the tape. After all, if you want some tape that stays on for a long time, it wouldn't have to be these specific tape. I used to work for Breathe Right Nasal Strip and worked with 3M adhesive (I was a product development specialist) and have seen many "stronger" adhesives but none worked as well as what they have with the actual Kinesio tape. If I remember it correctly, it is manufactured by a company called Nitto Denko in Japan. The strength of adhesive, the pattern coating, and the specific texture of the material all matters.

I've used Kinesio tape for PF before and, for the first time I used it--I think it was way back in late 1990s or early 2000s, I could not believe how well it worked. It so happened that I heard the news that Nicole Titter went to Europe but came right back due to PF and couldn't compete, I called her coach at the time, Vin Lannana, and told him about Kinesio Tape (at that time, nobody in the US heard about it) and sent him sample. Of course, a tricky part of it that it would have to be applied correctly; otherwise, it won't be as effective. I can't remember if it's being carried by Walgreen but actually kinda doubt it... They didn't use to sell it at any store in the US; it would have to be applied by a certified PT at their clinic. I don't know how much they sell--Kase-san sends it to me in a huge (about a foot in diameter?) roll--but it's not a cheap stuff and, it seems, that's one of the reasons some people don't like it??? But, to me, you'll get what you pay for; it works (if applied correctly) and I believe in its effect. Knock-off products are probably cheaper and it may stay on in the pool but, in my opinion, they are all sub-par in terms of efficacy. If you want to use this expensive tape to wrap your toes or keep it on in the pool for several days, knock-off may serve just fine. But if you have a specific reason why you want to use such a specific tape, I'd go the real thing. Otherwise, any "sports tape" that you can get any drug store may suffice. Nitto Denko, by the way, also developed a specific tape for dialysis treatment. Its specific purpose was not to stay on too strong. These people have to apply it on their arm everyday and, if the adhesive is too strong, it hurts. In fact, I think they named it in English "So Gentle"; though I'm not sure if it's available in the US because it's almost X2 or X3 more expensive. You may not swim with this in the pool so you may not be happy about it because it'll most likely come right off if you do; but it fulfilled its specific purpose.

Whatever the tape you may or may not use, it's only a masking agent. You'll have to identify what's causing it and solve that issue from the origin of it. I'd say most likely it's the shoe that you wear that causes the problem--Arthur Lydiard used to call PF an "American shoe disease".

irun4moi

posted: 5/12/2013 at 5:29 PMmodified: 5/12/2013 at 5:47 PM

Thanks for the input Nobby, that was really interesting. Regarding shoes, my chiro wants me in brooks, either glycerins or ghosts. I'm leaning towards the glycerins. I have a very high arch and I slightly overpronate. He thinks everyone should run in a neutral shoe. Right now I'm in asics nimbus. I really like them, but I think they're a half size too large, and I've always wondered if they haven't been a contributing factor. When I first developed PF, I had been wearing Nike Pegasus for about 9 or 10 months.